Member Faculty

Omonigho Aisagbonhi, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology
Research Interests: Gynecologic and perinatal pathology, post-partum preeclampsia

Marianna Alperin, M.D., M.S.

Professor
Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: The impact of pregnancy, birth injury, and aging on the structure, function, plasticity , and regenerative potential of the female pelvic soft tissues
https://alperinlab.org/

Sarah Averbach, M.D., M.A.S.

Associate Professor
Division of Family Planning
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: Postpartum contraception and effects of contraceptive hormones on breastfeeding

Jerasimos Ballas, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science
Research Interests: Placenta accreta spectrum, treatment of substance use disorders in pregnancy

Jack Bui, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor
Director of Clinical Flow Cytometry, Diagnostic Immunology, and Stem Cell Processing Labs
Department of Pathology
Research Interests: Innate immunity in cancer, infection, and pregnancy

Aaron Carlin, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health
Department of Medicine
Research Interests: Emerging viruses, viral-host interactions, genomics, systems biology

Shaochen Chen, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Nanoengineering
Research Interests: 3D bioprinting and placenta-on-a-chip

Karen L. Christman, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Bioengineering
Associate Dean for Faculty, Jacobs School of Engineering
Research Interests: Biomaterials for women's health

Francisco Contijoch, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Departments of Bioengineering and Radiology

Research interests: Developing novel cardiopulmonary imaging techniques for advanced evaluation of pathophysiology.

Heidi Cook-Andersen, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Biological Sciences
Research Interests: Oocyte and embryo development and reprogramming

Nicole Coufal, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests: Neuroimmunology, innate immune system in neurodevelopment, stem cell modeling of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Barbara Durrant, Ph.D.

Henshaw Chair, Director of Reproductive Sciences
San Diego Zoo Global
Research Interests: Assisted reproductive technology including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, reproductive cycle manipulation; Gamete collection, evaluation, and cryopreservation; In vitro embryo production; Estrous cycle and pregnancy monitoring through hormone analysis, ultrasound, infrared thermal imaging

Kathleen Fisch, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms underlying pregnancy disorders and exposures, translational genomics and computational biology

Stephanie I. Fraley, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Bioengineering
Research Interests: Technology development for diagnostics, screening, and surveillance of perinatal infectious diseases

Pascal Gagneux, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Pathology
Research Interests: Glycoproteins and glycolipids in mammalian and sexual reproduction

Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, M.D., M.S.

Samuel Yen Endowed Chair and Professor
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: Preterm birth (prediction and prevention), antenatal corticosteroids, health disparities, and infectious diseases as they relate to pregnancy

Alon Goren, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Research Interests: Epigenomic mechanisms of disease

Drew Hall, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research Interests: Biosensors and technology development

Suzi Hong, Ph.D.

Professor
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Research Interests: Immunometabolism and biomarkers, Psychosocial risk factors and outcomes, Women’s health through the life course

Mariko Horii, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology
Research Interests: Understanding pregnancy disorders using a combination of iPSC-based models, clinical data analysis, and RNA profiling

Marni Jacobs, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: Perinatal Epidemiology

Qingfei Jiang, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Regenerative Medicine
University of California, San Diego

Research Interests: RNA modifications and RNA binding proteins in innate immune response, normal stem cell development, and cancer stem cell of pediatric cancer and ovarian cancer

Kathryn Johnson, M.D., M.S.

Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests: Newborn medicine and pediatric quality of care

Jane J. Kim, M.D.

Professor
Division of Pediatric Endocrinology
Department of Pediatrics
Research interests: Pediatric diabetes; glucose and insulin metabolism in childhood

Andrea Z. LaCroix, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology
Director, Women's Health Center of Excellence
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science
Research Interests: Epidemiology of women’s health across the life course

Daphne Yvette Lacoursiere, M.D., M.P.H.

Professor
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science
Research interest: Impact of obesity in pregnancy, bladder health in women

Leah Lamale-Smith, M.D.

Associate Professor
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science
Research Interests: Biomarkers in Preeclampsia and Fetal Imaging

Michelle Leff, M.D., I.B.C.L.C., F.A.A.P.

Professor
Division of Academic General Pediatrics, Newborn Medicine and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests: Breastmilk and Breastfeeding, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Late Preterm Infants

Sandra Leibel, M.D., M.Sc.

Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests: Impact of preterm microbiome on development of allergies and asthma, stem-cell based modeling of lung and brain development, surfactant biology

Amanda Lewis, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: Mucosal glycobiology and the female urogenital microbiome

Yu-Hwa Lo, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research interests: Biomedical devices and systems, microfluidics, biophotonics.

Denise Malicki, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor
Division of Pediatric Pathology
Department of Pathology
Chief of Pathology, Rady Children's Hospital
Research Interests: Congenital neuromuscular disorders

Krishelle Marc-Aurele, M.D.

Program Director, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Divisions of Neonatology and Palliative Medicine
Research Interests: Perinatal palliative care and bereavement

Gerald Morris, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Pathology
Research Interests: T cell development and function in transplantation and immunologic tolerance.

Priyadarshini (Priya) Pantham, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences

Research interests: Applying systems biology approaches to understand placental function in pregnancy disorders such as preeclampsia

Susan B. Powell, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Psychiatry
Research Interests: Rodent models of neurodevelopmental disorders
https://medschool.ucsd.edu/som/psychiatry/research/CTRIN/Pages/default.aspx

Rebecca Rakow-Penner, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Radiology
Research Interests: Advanced MRI techniques for breast, female pelvis, and fetal imaging

Gladys (Sandy) Ramos, M.D.

Professor
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: Diabetes in pregnancy

Kyung (Kay) Rhee, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.

Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Chair of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Medical Director, Medical Behavioral Unit, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego
Director of Research, Division of Hospital Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests: Novel treatments for pediatric obesity, parenting styles and feeding behaviors, child eating behaviors and cognitive development
https://chear.ucsd.edu/

Eniko Sajti, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests: lung immunity, innate immune system development, lung development, hyperoxia-induced injury, epigenomic mechanisms of disease

Jianhua Shao, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests: Gestational diabetes and fetal programming

Francesca Soncin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology
Research Interests: Trophoblast lineage specification and establishment of the maternal-fetal interface.

Maryam Tarsa, M.D.

Professor
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science
Research Interests: Quality improvement and maternal cardiovascular disorders

Varykina (Kina) Thackray, Ph.D.

Professor

Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Research Interests: Host/microbe interactions related to sex differences, steroid hormone excess/insufficiency and metabolic dysregulation

https://thackraylab.ucsd.edu

Douglas A. Woelkers, M.D.

Professor
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science
Research Interests: Management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, Investigation of placental growth factors for prediction and diagnosis of preeclampsia

Jared W. Young, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry
Research Interests: Cognitive/behavioral impact of environments linked to psychiatric risk factors